मन्त्राटव्यां चिरं भ्रान्तं विहृतं कार्यवर्त्मसु । दृष्टानि धर्मस्थानानि विश्राम्याम्य् अधुना सखि
Long have I wandered in the forest of mantras, moving along the paths of duty; the abodes of righteousness have been seen—now, friend, I rest.
इत्य् अक्षमालां ज्वलने चिक्षेपोक्त्वा शिखिध्वजः । कल्पान्ताग्नाव् इव व्योमतारालीं पवनो ऽमलाम्
Thus speaking, Śikhidhvaja cast the rosary into the fire, as the wind scatters a spotless cluster of stars into the fire at the end of an age.
मया नरमृगेण त्वं चिरं वनमृगच्युतम् । अबोधेन धृतं वृत्त्या दययेव मृगाजिन
For a long time, O rosary, you have been held by me, a human-animal, with unknowing persistence, as one keeps a deerskin out of compassion for the deer.
इदानीं गच्छ सच्छाय पन्थानस् सन्तु ते शिवाः । वह्निना व्योमतां गच्छ सतारं व्योम ते समम्
Now go, with your true shadow; may your paths be auspicious. Enter the sky by fire, and may the sky with stars be with you.
उन्मोच्याङ्गात् कराभ्यां च धृत्वा चर्म जहाव् इति । नृपो ऽग्नाव् अम्बुदं वातो दववह्नाव् इवाचलात्
Having loosened it from his body and taken it with his hands, the king cast off the skin, just as wind removes a cloud from fire, or fire removes a mountain in a forest blaze.
मया धृतेन भवता त्वया वारि धृतं मम । साधो कमण्डलो सम्यक्कृते प्रतिकृतं कृतम्
The water you have held was held by me, and what I have done, you have done, O noble one; the water pot has been rightly used, and what was to be done has been accomplished.
सौहृदस्य मनोज्ञस्य सौजन्यस्य स्थिरस्य च । साधुत्वस्य च सर्वस्य त्वम् एकः परमास्पदम्
You alone are the supreme abode of all friendliness, charm, steadfast nobility, and complete virtue.
येनैव वह्निना देहं संशोध्याभ्यागतो ऽसि माम् । तेनैव गच्छ हे मित्र पन्थानस् सन्तु ते शिवाः
By the very fire through which you have purified your body and come to me, O friend, go by that same path; may your ways be auspicious.
इत्य् उक्त्वा श्रोत्रियायैष कमण्डलुम् अदात् तदा । अग्नये महते वापि दातव्यं साधु यद् भवेत्
Having spoken thus, he gave the water pot to the learned brahmin; whatever is good should be given either to the great fire or to a worthy person.
मूर्खस्येव मतिर् गुप्ते नित्यम् एव वसस्य् अधः । उचिता ते गतिः केव बृसिके भस्मतां व्रज
Just as the mind of a fool always dwells in secrecy, so your proper course is to become ash, O Keva, O staff; go to ashes.
इत्य् उक्त्वादाय बृसिकाम् अग्नाव् इन्धनवृद्धिदाम् । शुद्ध्यर्थम् आसनार्थं चेत्य् अग्नौ तत्याज भासुरे
Having said this, he took the staff, which served to increase the fuel for the fire, and for the sake of purification and as a seat, he cast it into the shining fire.
यत् त्याज्यम् अचिरेणैव त्यक्तव्यं किल तत् सता । उपायः क्रियते सद्भिर् उपादेये मते सति
That which must soon be abandoned should indeed be given up by the good; the wise make use of means when there is reason to accept something.
शीघ्रम् अग्नाव् इदं सर्वं भाण्डजालं त्यजाम्य् अहम् । एकवारं दहन्न् अग्निर् दाह्यं भवति तुष्टये
Quickly, I cast all these vessels into the fire; once the fire burns, what is to be burned becomes fuel for its satisfaction.
साधो क्रियोपकरण निष्क्रियस् त्वां त्यजाम्य् अहम् । न खेदस् त्व् अत्र कर्तव्यो ऽनुपयोग्यं बिभर्ति कः
O noble one, I abandon you, implements of action, for you are now useless to me; let there be no regret here—who keeps what is of no use?
इत्य् उक्तवाञ् झगिति भोजनभाजनाद्यं सर्वं जुहाव वनवासविलासयोग्यम् । तद् भाण्डजालम् अनले समम् एव राजा कल्पान्ततेजसि जगज् ज्वलतीव कालः
Having spoken thus, he swiftly consigned all the eating vessels and such, fit for the pleasures of forest-dwelling, into the fire; that collection of vessels, in the fire blazing like the end of an age, seemed as if Time itself was consuming the world.
अथोत्थाय ददाहासौ शुष्कं तत् पर्णमन्दिरम् । अज्ञेन स्वेन मनसा वृथा सङ्कल्प्यकल्पितम्
Then, rising up, he burned that dry leaf-hut, which his own ignorant mind had vainly imagined and constructed.
शिष्टं यत् किञ्चिद् अभवत् तत्र तत् स शिखिध्वजः । असंरब्धमना मौनी क्रमेण समया धिया
Whatever remained there, that Śikhidhvaja, with a calm mind and in silence, gradually and deliberately—
ददाह दूरे चिक्षेप तत्याज च बभञ्ज च । भाण्डजातं स्ववसनभोजनाद्य् अपि रुष्टवत्
—burned, threw far away, abandoned, and broke apart: all his belongings, including his own clothes and food, as if in anger.
स बभूवाश्रमस् तस्य दग्धनष्टनिजस्थितिः । वीरभद्रबलध्वस्तदक्षयज्ञाश्रमोपमः
His hermitage, with his own possessions burned and destroyed, became like the sacrificial hermitage of Daksha, laid waste by the might of Virabhadra.
आश्रमात् ते मृगखगास् त्यक्तरोमन्थम् उद्ययुः । साग्निदाहात् पुरवराद् भीतभीता जना इव
From that hermitage, the deer and birds departed, leaving behind their grazing grounds, just as terrified people flee a city after a great fire.
भाण्डजातं दहत्य् अग्नौ सह शुष्केन्धनेन तत् । केवलाकृतिर् अस्नेहस् तुष्टिमान् आह भूपतिः
A collection of vessels burns in the fire along with dry fuel; but the king, being content, says, 'I am merely a form, without attachment.'
अहो नु चिरकालेन देवपुत्र प्रबोधितः । सम्पन्नः केवलश् शुद्धस् सुखितो बोधवान् अहम्
Ah, indeed, after a long time, O divine one, I have been awakened; I am fulfilled, pure, happy, and endowed with understanding.
किं नाम किल वस्त्व् एतद् भवेत् साङ्कल्पिकक्रमम् । यद् भाण्डोपस्करस्थानसदनाद्यवलम्बनम्
What, truly, could this thing be, which follows the sequence of imagination—this reliance on vessels, implements, places, and dwellings?
यावद् यावत् प्रहीयन्ते विबन्धा बन्धहेतवः । तावत् तावत् समायाति परमां निर्वृतिं मनः
As long as the bonds and causes of bondage are gradually removed, so long does the mind attain supreme peace.
शाम्यामि परिनिर्वामि सुखितो ऽस्मि जयाम्य् अहम् । विबन्धाः प्रक्षयं यातास् सर्वत्यागो मया कृतः
I am at rest, I am completely tranquil, I am happy, I am victorious; the bonds have been destroyed, and I have renounced everything.
दिगम्बरो दिक्सदनो दिक्सखो ऽयम् अहं स्थितः । देवपुत्र महात्यागात् किम् अन्यद् अवशिष्यते
I stand here, clothed in the directions, with the directions as my dwelling and the directions as my sky, O divine one; after this great renunciation, what else remains?
सर्वम् एव न सन्त्यक्तं त्वया राजञ् शिखिध्वज । सर्वत्यागपरानन्दं मा मुधाभिनयीकुरु
O King Śikhidhvaja, you have not yet renounced everything; do not feign the supreme bliss of total renunciation in vain.
तवास्त्य् एवापरित्यक्तस् सर्वस्माद् भाग उत्तमः । यं परित्यज्य निश्शेषं पराम् आयास्य् अशोकताम्
There still remains for you, indeed, the highest portion not yet abandoned; by completely renouncing that, you will attain supreme freedom from sorrow.
इति श्रुतवता तेन किञ्चित् सञ्चिन्त्य भूभृता । इदम् उक्तं महाबाहो राम राजीवलोचन
Having thus listened, that king reflected for a moment, and then spoke these words, O Rama, lotus-eyed one.
इन्द्रियव्यालसङ्घातो रक्तमांसमयाकृतिः । शिष्यते सर्वसन्त्यागे देहो मे देवतात्मज
When everything is renounced, what remains is this body, a form made of blood and flesh, composed of the herd of wild senses, O son of the gods.